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1 Dead, 3 Injured in Poway Synagogue Shooting

(Published Saturday, April 27, 2019)

A woman has died and a rabbi was injured after shots were fired inside a Poway, California synagogue filled with people celebrating the last day of Passover. A suspect was taken into custody approximately two miles away from the synagogue while three patients were rushed to a nearby hospital.

A man with an assault-style rifle entered Chabad of Poway on Rancho Bernardo Road, west of Interstate 15 at 11:23 a.m. and opened fire on the people inside, law enforcement officials said.

"We didn’t hear him screaming or saying anything. He was just focused to kill. You saw the hate and the murder in his eyes," Danny Almong, a witness, told NBC 7. "He had a vest and he had clips in the vest. He was ready. He was ready. He came in to kill."

The suspect was identified as John T. Earnest, 19, a graduate of Mount Carmel High School and student at Cal State San Marcos. Earnest does not have a criminal history and has no apparent connection with white supremacist groups, according to San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore.

As the suspect fled the scene, an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent who was in the synagogue at the time of the shooting opened fire on the suspect, missing the man but striking his vehicle, Gore said.

Near the freeway, a San Diego police officer was en route to the scene while monitoring the sheriff's dispatch when he saw the suspect vehicle.

The suspect pulled over, jumped out of his car with his hands up and was taken into custody, SDPD Chief David Nisleit said.

"As the officer was placing this 19-year-old male into custody, he clearly saw a rifle sitting on the front passenger seat of the suspect vehicle," Nisleit added.

The sheriff's department said there are indications that the gun may have malfunctioned after some rounds were fired, though it was still being investigated.

More than half a dozen police cars were seen along Rancho Bernardo Road outside Phil’s BBQ -- roughly two miles away from the temple -- where the suspect was apprehended.

Officials have not released a possible motive for the shooting. The Federal Bureau of Investigations was also investigating.

The sheriff's department was preparing search warrants Saturday for the Earnest residence, his vehicle and for the synagogue in Poway. They were also collecting digital evidence and were aware of his manifesto, Gore said.

Gilbert-Kaye, 60, died from injuries suffered in the shooting. An eight-year-old girl and two adult men, including a rabbi, were injured and rushed to nearby hospitals, officials confirmed.

The three injured people are 57-year-old Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein, 34-year-old Almog Peretz, and 8-year-old Noya Dahan.

Tragic news that a gunman has attacked Chabad of Poway synagogue, on this, the last day of Passover, a day that is supposed to be a celebration of faith and freedom. I am thinking of, and praying for, those hurt and affected.

"My deepest sympathies go to the people that were affected, the families, their loved ones, by the obviously looks right now based on my last conversations, looks like a hate crime, hard to believe," President Trump said from the south lawn of the White House. "We're doing some very heavy research we'll see what happens, what comes up, at this moment it looks like a hate crime, but my deepest sympathies to all of those affected and we'll get to the bottom of it."

"I condemn the abhorrent attack on a synagogue in California; this is an attack on the heart of the Jewish people," Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement. "We send condolences to the family of Lori Gilbert-Kaye and our best wishes for a quick recovery to the wounded. The international community must step up the struggle against antisemitism."

Donald Trump Responds After Poway Synagogue Shooting

Hear President Donald Trump’s remarks after a shooting at a synagogue near San Diego, California, left one person dead.

(Published Saturday, April 27, 2019)

A GoFundMe page was created Saturday night to raise money to help pay for "any necessary medical operations for the victims, funeral services, synagogue reparations or anything else the synagogue would need assistance with."

The San Diego County Sheriff's Department said the following roads were closed until Sunday morning:

Eastbound Espola Road at Summerfield Lane

Westbound Espola Road at Avenida Florencia

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story identified the suspect as a graduate of Mount Miguel High School. This has been fixed and we regret the error.